California State Teachers Retirement System lessened its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report) by 2.8% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 3,835,612 shares of the company’s stock after selling 110,513 shares during the quarter. California State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $461,386,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of MRK. Brighton Jones LLC boosted its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 29.5% during the 4th quarter. Brighton Jones LLC now owns 38,278 shares of the company’s stock valued at $3,808,000 after acquiring an additional 8,710 shares during the period. Sivia Capital Partners LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 52.2% in the second quarter. Sivia Capital Partners LLC now owns 11,494 shares of the company’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 3,941 shares during the period. Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 94.1% in the second quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 32,256 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,590,000 after purchasing an additional 15,636 shares during the period. Diversify Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in Merck & Co., Inc. by 22.2% in the second quarter. Diversify Wealth Management LLC now owns 38,031 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,054,000 after purchasing an additional 6,897 shares during the period. Finally, MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 111.7% during the second quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 681,128 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,918,000 after purchasing an additional 359,356 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 76.07% of the company’s stock.
Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth
A number of analysts have recently issued reports on MRK shares. Royal Bank Of Canada reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $142.00 target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 20th. Cantor Fitzgerald reissued a “neutral” rating and issued a $120.00 price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. in a research report on Monday, July 6th. Finally, Guggenheim upped their target price on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating and seven have assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $133.94.
Merck & Co., Inc. Stock Performance
MRK stock opened at $131.85 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.02, a current ratio of 1.30 and a quick ratio of 1.06. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $122.39 and a 200 day moving average price of $118.10. The company has a market capitalization of $325.64 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.14, a PEG ratio of 5.19 and a beta of 0.19. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 1-year low of $76.66 and a 1-year high of $135.05.
Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, April 30th. The company reported ($1.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($1.47) by $0.19. The company had revenue of $16.29 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $15.85 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a net margin of 13.59% and a return on equity of 27.55%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.22 earnings per share. Merck & Co., Inc. has set its FY 2026 guidance at 5.040-5.160 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.74 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Merck & Co., Inc. Dividend Announcement
The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, July 8th. Stockholders of record on Monday, June 15th were paid a dividend of $0.85 per share. The ex-dividend date was Monday, June 15th. This represents a $3.40 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.6%. Merck & Co., Inc.’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 95.77%.
Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup
Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Merck reported that KEYTRUDA met the primary progression-free-survival endpoint in the Phase 3 KEYNOTE-C93 trial for advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer. The result represents a statistically significant benefit over platinum chemotherapy and could support future regulatory filings, strengthening the company’s oncology pipeline. Merck Says KEYTRUDA Beat Chemotherapy in Phase 3 Endometrial Cancer Trial
- Positive Sentiment: Merck is expanding its growth opportunities beyond KEYTRUDA. A royalty-free licensing agreement will enable generic HIV-prevention treatment supply across 129 low- and middle-income countries, while U.S. approval of LIPFENDRA, described as the first oral PCSK9 inhibitor for LDL reduction, broadens its cardiovascular portfolio. Merck Expands HIV PrEP Access and Launches Oral Cholesterol Drug
- Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo maintained its Buy rating on MRK, signaling continued confidence in the company’s outlook despite near-term earnings pressure. Wells Fargo Sticks to Its Buy Rating for Merck
- Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage firms collectively assigned Merck an average “Moderate Buy” rating, indicating constructive sentiment but not a unanimous expectation of strong upside. Merck Given Average Moderate Buy Rating by Brokerages
- Negative Sentiment: Analysts expect Merck’s upcoming second-quarter earnings to decline, and previews indicate the company may lack the earnings and revenue momentum typically associated with a likely consensus beat. This could limit near-term gains ahead of the report. Merck Q2 Earnings Expected to Decline
Merck & Co., Inc. Profile
Merck & Co, Inc is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the discovery, development, manufacture and marketing of prescription medicines, vaccines, biologic therapies and animal health products. Its portfolio spans multiple therapeutic areas with a particular emphasis on oncology, vaccines and infectious disease, as well as therapies for metabolic and chronic conditions. Among its well-known products are the cancer immunotherapy Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and the human papillomavirus vaccine Gardasil; the company also markets a range of medicines and vaccines for veterinary use through Merck Animal Health.
Founded in the late 19th century as the U.S.
Read More
- Five stocks we like better than Merck & Co., Inc.
- These 3 Stocks Have Soared in 2026—Can They Keep Climbing?
- Hasbro’s Earnings Beat Shows Why This Is No Longer Just a Toy Story
- Rambus: Another AI Phoenix Ready to Rise From the Ashes of Correction
- Chips & Clips: Memory Tariffs Rewire Tech Supply Chains
Want to see what other hedge funds are holding MRK? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK – Free Report).
Receive News & Ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Merck & Co. Inc. and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.
